Building Blocks
by Subtlynice
Summary: A few years after the end of Breaking Dawn, Rosalie has an announcement to make. Not everyone is thrilled by what she has to say…


A/N: If anyone's read any of my other stories, this takes place around the same time as the ending of A Walk in the Lifetime of Angela Weber.

This story was written as a break from all the Edward angst I've been spewing out lately. What with all the reviewers telling me I made them cry, I figured it was high time for some pointless E/B fluffiness. Enjoy!

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Building Blocks

"I don't believe this." I muttered, horrified. "I don't believe it."

We were standing in our room in the new house just outside of Forks. Carlisle had brought it a few years ago, with the reasoning that we were far enough away from any local people who might recognise us, but not too far away from Charlie or the Quileutes. I had protested at first- after all, who needed _more_ houses when the Forks Cullen house was so huge? But now, this issue was eclipsed by an even darker event looming on the horizon.

"I did warn you," Edward chuckled, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms gently around my waist. "I told you we'd have to endure this, the very first time we visited our meadow, do you remember?"

I did remember- how could I forget anything from a day so perfect? Still, I hadn't expected it to happen quite so soon.

"Why can't they wait a couple of years?" I moaned. "Give Nessie the chance to really get into her role as your niece, give us some time to think about going to university, give me the chance to figure out what the hell I'm going to do if I ever run into an old school friend while we're still living nearby. It's the least they should do."

"Darling, it's alright," Edward comforted. "They won't invite any humans- their weddings are much more… exclusive than ours was."

I knew what he was really saying. Extravagant. Over the top. Nothing done halfway. No pathetic, _human_ guests. The Denali Clan, the Irish Coven, the Amazons… Benjamin, Tia, Maggie, Peter, Charlotte, Siobhan, Garrett… all of our vampire friends coming to stare at Rosalie's glamorous beauty.

_All_ of them.

"But to make Nessie a bridesmaid!" I shuddered. "She's only five years old!"

"Child bridesmaids are very common nowadays. And Nessie doesn't look or act five."

This was true. As far as an outsider would be concerned, Nessie was a beautiful, healthy teenager, just a bit younger than the rest of us. Not that there _would_ be any outsiders, of course. Rosalie would be very selective with her plans. Only the most gorgeous guests for the most gorgeous bride. I still couldn't help feeling that this was all just to show off her new niece. Alice was still Rosalie's maid of honour- a role she took very seriously indeed –but Nessie had been given the position of bridesmaid for this latest wedding. Alice wasn't quite as excited about this particular occasion- clearly, she'd planned one too many weddings for Rosalie and Emmett, but Rosalie's enthusiasm for the event was matched only by Nessie's. The two of them seemed overjoyed to the point of exaggeration.

I'd seen Jake giving Nessie a lot of nervous glances every time she brought the subject of Rose's wedding up. Clearly, _he_ wasn't ready for anything of the sort, but Ness was going through a cute-teenage-crush phase, and kept giving Jake meaningful looks while batting her eyelashes in a way reminiscent of Rosalie. Nessie's aunts could be bad influences at times. _And speaking of Rosalie…_

"I still don't like it." I said stubbornly. I knew I was whinging, but I just didn't care.

"What is it you're worrying about exactly?" Edward asked softly. His voice was sincerely concerned and his hands brushed up and down my arms reassuringly.

"I- I'm… I'm…" I trailed off, hopelessly. What was the point? None of the brilliant excuses my mind came up with made much sense. And my husband would see right through them.

"I'm just scared for Renesmee's safety," I told him. This much was true- the Volturi wouldn't stay complacent for much longer.

"That's not all you're worried about, is it?"

I sighed and relaxed back into his arms. "No," I admitted.

"Tell me."

"I… I guess I kind of liked it when it was us who were the newlyweds. I don't want that to change."

He growled into my neck and gripped me even tighter against his body.

"Silly girl." He chastised playfully. "What makes you think I'll ever be able to stop acting like a newlywed around you?"

I knew that if I were still human, I would have blushed. Instead, I giggled as his hands moved higher and I felt his lips start to slowly caress my neck.

"You're distracting me," I accused.

"Is it working?" He asked me, in a rich, deep voice, full of hunger and possibilities.

"No," I lied. "I'm still upset."

He sighed, and most unfortunately withdrew slightly. "I don't see the problem," he frowned. "They won't really be newlyweds. They were first married nearly half a century before you were even born."

"It just bugs me," I shrugged. "I don't know why."

"Let me see," he whispered, and I knew instantly what he wanted. I turned and stretched up on my toes to place my hands on either side of his face. It was comfortable, routine now for us to do this, and I was getting better and better at it every time. Still, it did not escape my notice that we were standing in the exact same room, in the exact same position as we had been just five years ago, when I had first tried this. His arms gripped me ever-so-slightly tighter, and I knew that he too was remembering. I smiled. _That_ had been a good night. Concentrating, I let the barrier slip from around my mind.

"_Bella_," Edward groaned; I could feel his enthusiasm, and I hastened to redirect my thoughts while I still had control over them. There would be time to replay that memory later. For now, however much his reaction had pleased me, I wanted to express a different emotion to my husband.

I focused hard on everything I had been feeling since Rosalie and Emmett's announcement. Edward listened in a mixture of concentration and the ridiculous, unfounded awe he always regarded my thoughts with. After a while, he chuckled, grinning widely and humorously.

"You're jealous."

I gasped, and my shield sprang back up immediately. "I am _not_!"

He laughed again, presumably at my outraged expression, and scooped me into his arms, so that he could cradle me against his stomach. I frowned and tried to squirm out of his grip. This new position really didn't help my concentration. I was trying to be _mad_.

"You quite enjoyed being the blushing bride, didn't you?" He murmured softly in my ear- the standard way to embarrass me, as he knew only too well. I could no longer blush, but I felt him smile against my ear as I ducked my head away shyly.

"But it's more than that," he continued, "you _love_ being married. Almost as much as I do."

I snorted. He was always saying stupid things like that; undermining my feelings in comparison to his own. I knew it couldn't be true. Anyone who felt any more love than I did for him would probably explode from the feelings he stirred in me.

"Yes," I admitted. "I just… I just wish I could remember it properly." I sighed. "Why did you let me get married human, when you knew my memories of our day would be so hazy and fuzzy?"

Edward tensed at this and set my feet down gently on the carpet. One arm stayed securely wrapped around my waist, but his other hand reached around to cup my cheek; brushing away an imaginary tear that would never fall as he did so.

"At the time, you didn't realise just how hazy and fuzzy your human memory was," he hedged, still not fully answering my question. I glared at him and opened my mind to him once more. He visibly winced at all of the questions running through my mind, but I didn't let it deter me.

"I thought…" he lifted his head and gazed into my eyes, shaking his head slightly. When he spoke again, his voice stirred an old forgotten memory inside me. It was too calm, too controlled. It sounded like… like the only memory of Edward that I'd purposely tried to forget. And one of the only memories that I knew would forever haunt me.

"I wanted to tie you to me before your change. I thought… I thought that that way, if you… if there was anything… if you changed your mind… I'd still always have that day to cherish."

I tried futilely to make sense of his garbled sentences.

"I don't understand," I told him.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair nervously.

"It was selfish of me, I know, but I wanted one perfect day with you to cherish, just in case… in case you didn't… find me to your liking after your change. And then of course, there was your demand for a human experience to consider…"

He trailed off, looking anxious as I frowned, trying to find a translation of his guarded words that made sense. Finally, I said slowly, "You thought _I_ would leave _you_?"

He shrugged around me, but his voice was still tense.

"I thought it was a possibility. If you weren't pleased with your new life… it would be me to blame, and I wouldn't grudge you for doing so. I would gladly take the blame. It would kill me to do so, but if you weren't happy, I would let you leave. And then, as one of us, I thought you might not find me…"

"What?" I hissed, immediately furious when I saw the direction his thoughts were leading him in. "You thought I wouldn't love you anymore? You thought I wouldn't find you attractive anymore when I finally became your equal?"

He snorted. "Bella, I've never been your equal. You've _always_ been my superior."

I simply glared at him and waited for him to speak.

"You are- and always have been –far superior to myself. But I knew that through your 'fuzzy' human sight, you only saw yourself as average at best." He snorted again, shaking his head. "And your human eyes never truly saw _me_, either- you saw what everyone else saw; a distorted, warped perfection of the man I once was. I was both longing for and terrified of the day when you actually saw me, for the first time. The day when you would realise just how imperfect I really am."

I couldn't speak for a long moment.

"But… you _are_ perfect," I finally said with a frown. "You didn't seriously expect me to think less of you, did you? Not when I could _finally_ see just how perfect you are."

He chuckled, and relaxed from his tense posture.

"Your mind is strange," he sighed happily, resting his forehead against mine. "Even with the new access I have, I don't think I'll ever truly understand it."

I shook my head adamantly. Sometimes I thought Edward was the strange one. After over a century, how could he _still_ be oblivious to how wonderful he was?

"I still wish my memories were just a little clearer," I said, leaning into his embrace. "I can't even remember what the priest looked like. I was too busy gazing at you throughout the ceremony."

Edward leant back to look at me, seemingly lost in thought. Then he smiled; a beautiful, wicked smile.

"Well, there's only one thing I can possibly do, isn't there?" He asked seriously. I frowned. What on earth did he mean?

"I'm going to have to remind you of our wedding in any and every way possible," he told me, his eyes twinkling from amusement and excitement. "And I think we should focus on our wedding _night_ in particular."

"Oh," I breathed, far too captivated by his bright eyes to say anything more. I couldn't even form a coherent thought, let alone words.

"So," he continued, leaning down to whisper his words against my lips, "do you remember what you were doing on the morning of our wedding day?"

He gave me one chaste kiss and his hand slipped under my T-shirt to brush slowly against the bare skin of my hip as he awaited my answer.

_Mmm_. Wait. What was the question again?

"Er," I managed. "Sleeping?"

Edward let out a soft, enthralling laugh.

"Yes," he agreed, his hand still lingering on the skin above my jeans as I dropped my head, unable to hold his gaze any longer. "And then what did you do?"

"Alice. Make-up. Rosalie. Hair."

"During the ceremony?" He asked.

I narrowed my eyes. "I married you."

"Hmm, yes, you did," he agreed, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "And _after_ the ceremony?"

"I…"

Edward lifted my chin to bring our faces closer together.

"Bella? Can you not remember what happened after the ceremony?" He teased. "Well then, I'd better remind you, hadn't I?"

I was too far gone for words- just a quick brush of my hand; the briefest slip of my shield told him all he needed to know.

"Good," he growled. "Then I think we'd better get started. If I recall correctly, we were-"

My lips covered his at that moment, effectively shutting him up. I didn't want a play-by-play anymore. I pushed my body against his eagerly. One hand went up to tangle in his hair, pulling his face down further towards mine, and the other fisted his shirt tightly. I could feel the muscles beneath my palm, and I prayed I'd have enough self-control to leave the shirt in one piece. Alice had only just brought us both our newest designer clothing ranges, with stern instructions not to rip anything this time.

He smiled at my enthusiasm.

"I don't think that's quite how it happened, love," he murmured against my lips. "I seem to remember you being a fragile human, and therefore completely at my mercy."

"Shut up," I advised.

Edward just laughed against my lips again.

_Knock, Knock._

"I hope we're not disturbing anything," I heard a sweet, enchanting, slightly sarcastic voice say on the other side of the door. A barking, rumbling laugh followed.

Rosalie. Emmett. Ugh. These jerks were stealing away my wedding day. They had to steal away my wonderful distraction too?

"_Bella_," Edward warned quietly, untangling himself from my grip against his shirt. "Be good."

I growled, but stepped away from him as the door opened and Rosalie floated in, with Emmett in tow.

"Something wrong, Bella?" Emmett chuckled. I barred my teeth at him and he grinned even wider. "Sorry for just barging in. It didn't seem as though you were in the middle of anything important."

"What is it?" I interrupted harshly.

Emmett glanced in Edward's direction. After a moment of puzzling silence, Edward's furrowed brow relaxed, and he grinned at Rosalie, who smiled back.

"Sure," Edward said. Then without another word, he walked from the room, Emmett following behind.

"Edward?" I called after him. "What is this about?"

"I'm sorry, Bella," Rosalie apologised. "It's my fault; I wanted to speak to you privately. Emmett and Edward are going for a short run. He'll be back very soon."

I felt suddenly very shy. Despite the awkward but genuine friendship we'd forged over the past few years, I'd never really been in a situation like this; alone with only Rosalie for company. There'd always been someone else in the room- Nessie, or Alice, or our husbands.

"That's alright," I told her, my curiosity getting the better of my nerves. Rosalie stood in front of me, staring at my face for a long time. I wondered what she was looking for, because after a while she turned away with a grim look of satisfaction on her face.

"So… I wanted to ask you something." Rosalie began. "Well, two things actually."

"What is it?" I asked her. She seemed to be stalling answering my question though, because she kept glancing away from me, not quite meeting my eyes.

"Are you okay, Bella?" She finally asked with a sigh. "I mean… you're not angry with me, are you?"

I frowned. If Edward had asked me the same question two minutes ago, I would have responded with a resounding '_no, I'm not okay_'. But this wasn't Edward, and Rosalie's apparent concern for my feelings had let some warmth seep back through my earlier selfishness.

"Of course," I told her. It was only a half-lie, but she seemed to understand that I wasn't being entirely truthful with her.

"Are you sure, Bella? I would understand if you're upset." She said, very seriously. "After all, I'm used to being in the limelight. These past few years, I've been quite jealous of you."

I laughed. _Rosalie_, jealous of _me_. I still couldn't quite believe that.

"I'm fine with it," I told her. "Honestly. I mean, I was a bit annoyed at first, but… I don't _really_ mind. I mean… I understand. I'm happy for you."

And I was. I appreciated Rosalie's concern, and we'd been getting on better than ever these last few years. My previous rage seemed very silly now.

"Well, that's good," she said, smiling beatifically. "Because according to Alice, solo bridesmaids really aren't fashionable this season, so it means we're one short."

I froze, my brain whirling at vampiric speed; my voice stuck in my throat.

"You mean…"

"Would you like to be a bridesmaid, Bella? _My_ bridesmaid?"

"_Bridesmaid_?" I gasped. My whirling mind was suddenly, unhelpfully blank.

"Of course, it's quite alright if you don't want to," Rose said quickly. "I'll ask Esme if that's the case. I just thought-"

"No! No, of course I want to!" I hastened to correct her. "It's just… are you… _sure_?"

Rosalie laughed. "Bella, I'd love for you to be my bridesmaid. Besides, you and Nessie are the only two women of our family who _haven't_ been bridesmaids at one of my weddings yet."

I smiled back. "Then I'd love that too."

"Good," she said, and we both raised our heads to the window as the familiar scents of Edward and Emmett drifted back towards us.

"Good," she repeated to herself. "They're back. I told Emmett just to take Edward for a short run through the town," she explained. "I wanted to speak with you privately, and with Edward around, privacy is hard to come by."

I nodded, still grinning.

"Thank you, Bella," Rosalie said again, as she made her way towards the doorway. "You've made Emmett and I very happy. Not to mention Alice."

I laughed as she closed the door quietly behind her. Less than a second later, it was opened again as my husband came running through and into my arms.

"She's very happy, you know," he told me. "Even happier than she's letting on."

"Then I'm happy too," I told him.

Edward brushed my hair away from my face. "You seem to be in a much better mood than you were when I left you," he noted.

"I am," I replied with a shrug. "Rose is happy. I'm happy. And I realised something while we were talking."

"And what was that?" He asked, enchanted as ever with my dull thought processes.

"That it doesn't matter." I declared. "Rose can have her twenty-third wedding. Nessie can have her own kiddie, romanticised daydreams. But I've had my wedding day, and you know what? It was perfect even without the enhanced memories."

"Nessie's been daydreaming about marriage?" Edward asked, sounding appalled. I laughed at his horrified expression. I'd been shielding Ness and Jake from Edward for a few months now. They didn't really need their minds shielding yet, but we'd agreed I might as well start early. Nessie still shared her gift with Edward, but when it came to Jacob, he was as bad as Charlie had been at playing the over-protective father.

"Edward, all little girls dream of marriage." I told him. "Well… with a few exceptions."

"Like you." He said, his voice clipped. I could tell he was still thinking up different ways to murder my best friend.

"Yes," I agreed. "But that's just my point. _I_ don't need another wedding. I don't even need memories. It's my _future_ with you that's important now."

Edward's face smoothed out at this; he grinned beautifully, and I knew I was right. I wouldn't worry about the past any longer; it was here and now that really mattered. Rosalie might want to relive her big day, but I knew I would never re-marry. I'd treasure my vague memories of that day by spending as much time as possible loving Edward.

After all, that's what marriage was really all about, wasn't it? Not reliving the past. No, marriage was just another building block towards creating a future like ours. That's what all the time we'd shared together was- building blocks. Each little moment was building up to here and now. And- human or vampire –I'd treasure each moment as it was.

Because each moment was one more building block towards the perfect eternity I would share with Edward.

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A/N: Like? Dislike? Review and let me know!

And just so you know, I have a love-hate relationship with Rosalie. I loved her story in Eclipse, but I think she took her desperation for a child too far in Breaking Dawn. Nevertheless, she's funny and complicated and vain and selfish and altogether a great character to write. Plus, I think that once Nessie was born, Rosalie and Bella's friendship was no longer about her. Nessie brought them together, but in the end, they forged a friendship from the events of Breaking Dawn.


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